PCL Reno Aces

Reno Aces Notes & Roster

Published on May 7, 2021 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Reno Aces News Release


First pitch at Salt Lake is set for 5:35p.m. PT.

Opening Day Sparks: The Aces moved to 8-4 all-time on Opening Day with a 5-4 victory over the Salt Lake Bees on Thursday evening in Utah. New manager Blake Lalli became just the second Aces manager to win his first opening day with the team, joining Greg Gross in 2017.

The Kids are Alright: Last night's game featured six Triple-A debuts, with Seth Beer, Drew Ellis, Miguel Aguilar, Stuart Fairchild, Yoan Lopez and Renae Martinez all appearing in the game, and several making a major impact:

- Ellis started the record-breaking night with a home run with one out in the top of the first, marking the earliest Opening Day homer by an Ace. - Beer also jumped in on Opening Day history, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. The 24-year-old became the first player to hit two doubles and the ninth player to record three hits on Opening Day.

- Aguilar was the winning pitcher in his debut, going 1.1 innings while allowing no hits, no runs and two strikeouts. - Lopez notched his first Triple-A save in his debut.

Welcome Back Corbin: Corbin Martin set a new franchise record for most strikeouts in the first game of the season with eight, breaking Tony Barnette (2009) and Archie Bradley's (2016) record of seven. Martin is back after Tommy John surgery and an oblique injury kept him out all of 2020.

Domingo L3yba: Domingo Leyba's three-RBI performance made him just the fifth player since 2009 to knock in a trio of runs on Opening Day, two of which came on a two-run blast in the sixth. In 2019, Leyba drove in 77 runs for the Aces, the third-best mark on the team.

Frank-off We Go: Right-hander Seth Frankoff will make his Aces debut Friday night, taking a Triple-A mound for the first time in nearly five years. Frankoff took a two-year hiatus from North American baseball to play in the Korean Baseball League. He returned to the Majors in 2020, play- ing two games with the Seattle Mariners. His last start in the Minors came on Aug. 27, 2017 with Iowa Cubs against the Memphis Redbirds. The 32-year-old did not factor in the decision however, struck out six batters in five innings of work.

New Skipper in Town: Blake Lalli was tabbed as the Aces' fifth manager in franchise history on Feb. 1, 2021. This came after former skipper Chris Cron was promoted to Field Coordinator on the Diamondbacks' staff. Lalli, 37, enters the season as the youngest coach in Aces' history and is the first former player to receive the managerial nod. As a catcher in his two seasons with the Aces, Lalli tallied 142 hits, 66 RBIs and caught 51 runners stealing in 174 games played. Prior to his role in Reno, the Pittsburgh, Pa., native served as the manager for both Single-A Kane County Cougars and Double-A Affiliate Jackson Generals for one season. During his lone slate in Mississippi, Lalli coached the Generals to a 78-57 record and its second Southern League National Championship in as many years. In just two career seasons as skipper, he boasts a 150-123 record and has men- tored top prospects such as Daulton Varsho, Jon Duplantier and Seth Beer.

Roster Breakdown: The Reno Aces will feature a new look in 2021. The outfield will be headlined by a pair of touted veterans, 2017 World Series Champion Josh Reddick and 2017 World Series runner-up Trayce Thompson. The duo has combined for over 1,450 games played in the MLB, spanning five teams. In their combined 12 years of Major League service, Reddick and Thompson have produced 613 RBIs and 1,228 hits, 166 of which were sent over the outfield wall. To go along with two experienced outfielders, 12 more members have seen action in the Show. Top pitching prospect Corbin Martin is slated to make his first appearance since being traded from Houston to Arizona in the 2019 blockbuster deal that sent Zach Greinke to the Astros.

Meet the Staff: Returning for his second season with Reno and 11th season with the Diamond- backs' organization will be pitching coach Jeff Bajenaru. The former World Series Champion with the Chicago White Sox had a six-year playing career, finishing with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. He completed his Minor League career with a record of 20-18 and an ERA south of 3.00. Joining Lalli in Reno this season are two familiar faces from his Jackson staff in hitting coach Rick Short and extra coach Jorge Cortes. Short, a 12-year veteran of the D-Backs' franchise, served as the hitting coach on both of Lalli's squads since 2018 and led Jackson to a league-leading 128 home runs and third-best .713 OPS. Cortes, a lifetime .282 hitter during his career, will also enter his third season under Lalli.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 7, 2021


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